Cigar-buncher.



PATBNTED FEB. 18

W. STBRNBBRG.

CIGAR BUNGHER.

APPLICATION rum) AUG. 9. 1907.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM STERNBERG, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

CIGAR-B UN CHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1908.

App1ication filed August 9. 1907. Serial N5. 387.801.

' following is a full, clear, and eXact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical and'accurate adjustable bunching device for cigars or the like, whereby cigars may be formed or gaged into various sized bundles conforming to the dimensions of boxes into which they are thereafter packed, the construction and arrangement being such that an operator may quickly set the adjustable parts to a desired dimension preparatory to the operation, said invention consisting in various details of construction and combination of parts as hereinafter described with reference to theaccompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a device embodying the features of my invention, the mechanism being shown in its closed or full compressed position, with parts broken away and parts in section, as indicated by line 1-1 of Fig. 2, to better illustrate the details of construction; Fig. 2, a plan view of same with parts broken away and in section; Fig. 3, a detail sectional elevation of the compression-mechanism, as indicated by line 3-3, the said mechanism being shown in its open position, and Fig. 4, a cross-sectional view of the same as indicated by line 4-4 of the preceding figure.

Referring by numerals to the drawings, 1 indicates a rectangular base-board having secured thereto a rear side-wall 2 and an endwall 3, the latter being apertured to permit the passage therethrough of a brace-block 4, which block forms part of a longitudinally adjustable head-block 5. The adjustable end wall is secured to a flat metallic strip 6, that rests in and is guided by a channel 7 in the face of the base-board. The strip is flush with said base-board face and is held in its adjusted position by a bolt 8. The bolt passes through a slot 9 in the strip and through an apertured recess 10 of the lower face of the base-board, in which apertured recess it is secured by thumb-nut 11 that is in threaded-engagement with the bolt, the latter being located adjacent to the end of the base-board opposite the end-wall 3 as shown.

A compression head-block 12 is in slidable-engagement with the base-board at the opposite end thereof to that occupied by said adjustable head-block. sion head-block is supported by a bracket 13 secured thereto and having feet 1 1 that rest upon the base-board, said feet being guided in runways 15 of a spider 16, which spider is secured by screws to said base-board. A-

bridge-piece 17 of the spider connects the runways and is provided with upwardly eX- tending ears 18, between which ears is pivoted a hand-lever 19 having a short arm 20, that forms a pivotal connection for one end of a tog le-link 21, the opposite end of the togge-link being piv. oted between ears 22 of the compressor head-block bracket. The hand-lever which is of the bell-crank type and serves as a means by which the compressor head-block is moved, to and from, the adjustable head-block, the forward or compressing movement being limited by the radial throw of the short arm 20 of said hand-lever, while the retracting movement of said compressor head-block is regulated by a stop-gage 23. The position of this gage determines the length of reciprocative movement or play of the compressor head-block and in consequence thereof controls the amount of compression to be given a bundle of cigars placed between said compressor head-block and the adjustable head-block, the latter being adjustable for the purpose of a fixed set, controlling the length of bunches of cigars in accordance with the size of a box for which they are intended. The stop-gage 23 consists of a slotted finger which is mounted upon a boss 24 forming part of one of the runways 15, it being, as shown, preferably upon the front runway as the more accessible position, and is held thereon by a thumb-screw 25 which passes through the slot of said stop-gageand is in threadedengagement with the boss, the thumb-screw permitting various fixed adjustments of the aforesaid stop-gage.

The device is set for work by first throwing the hand-lever to the position as shown in Fig. 1, the compressor head-block being at the forward limit of its stroke. The adjustable head-block is then moved until its inner edge gages exactly with the length of the boxes to be used, after which said block and its carrying strip are locked by the thumbnut 11. Now, in order to give the cigars the This compres proper compression, it is only necessary to set the stop-gage back from the outer surface of the com ression head-block, a distance that woul be sufficient for said compression. The compression-block is then withdrawn by throwing back the hand-lever, which movement is checked by the stop-gage contacting with said block. The cigars are then assembled between the two blocks with the side-wall 2 as a back-gage, and thereafter the hand-lever is swung over to the position shown in Fig. 1, compressing the bundle of cigars, and owing to the short arm 20 having passed an imaginary straight line between the pivot pints of the toggle-link, said handlever will ock the compression head-block in this position, until such time as the cigars are formed in shape to be packed into a box, after which the aforesaid hand lever is ope'r'ated to withdraw said com ression headblock preparatory to refilling the device.

I claim:

1. In a cigar=bunching device comprising a base having a side-wall and a head-block; the combination of a slotted strip secured to the head-block in slidable engagement with theb'ase, locking means connecting the strip and base, a compressionheadblock, a bracket secured thereto, feet extending from the bracket, a spider having runways into which the feet are fitted, a bell-crank lever in pivotal connection with the spider, a toggle-link in pivotal connection with the bell-crank lever and bracket, and an adjustable stop-gage carried by the base, whereby limited movement of the compression head-block in one direction is had.

2. In a cigar-bunching device comprising a frame, a spider mounted upon the frame, a compression head-block in slidable-engagement with the spider, a hand-lever pivoted to the latter, the hand-lever being provided with a short-arm, a toggle-link inpivotal connection with said arm of the hand-lever and head-block, and an adjustable gage carried by the spider, whereby the motion of the hand-lever is limited in one direction.

3. In a cigar-bunching device, a side-wall, a base in connection with the side-wall provided with a longitudinal channel, a strip adjustable in the channel flush with the base, means for securing the strip in adjustable position, a head-block carried by said strip, and a compression head-block in slidableconnection with said base opposite theheadblock aforesaid.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM STERNBERG.

Witnesses:

. A. L. GRoo'rEMAAr,

E. M. SMITHY. 

